Subscribe
Follow Us
\Ricky Williams is one of the best “what could have been” stories in NFL history. Coming into the NFL, Williams was expected to be one of the best running backs in the NFL. But marijuana use got him kicked out of the NFL.
In a recent press conference at SportsCon 2019, Williams said he is pleased to see the league study marijuana as a pain-management tool. After all, who else would be a better spokesperson to talk about dealing with injuries with marijuana than Williams?
“Most of the time I’m up here, I’m asked a question about marijuana,” Williams said Saturday at SportsCon 2019 in Dallas. “Any big corporation kind of has to be behind the times. It’s public opinion, and I think public opinion has started to shift that the NFL is obviously talking about it in the public.
“I just think our whole country has come a long way in the past 15 years. The fact that before I was shunned and considered a pariah, and now ESPN invites me to talk about cannabis on television. We’re moving forward, and I think the NFL is eventually going to catch up.”
For years, the NFL has looked down upon players who use marijuana off of the field. Even for Williams, he was suspended multiple times for marijuana use and was later shunned from the NFL.
Now, the NFL is performing league studies to see if marijuana is a plausible route for pain-management for players. In today's NFL, we've seen a player like Randy Gregory struggle to remain in the NFL. Gregory has been suspended multiple times for using marijuana.
Currently, Gregory is suspended indefinitely from the NFL for substance abuse. Although, he could serve a zero-game suspension as he plans on applying for reinstatement on Monday.
We've also seen someone like Chris Long openly say he used marijuana throughout his playing career. Long is beloved by fans but some were critical of the retired defensive end.
Williams is proud to see how far the NFL has gotten in their studies of marijuana. Maybe the NFL will finally catch up with the times of allowing players to use marijuana as a pain-management tool.
